Aina

: 1) AINA is a union of over 30 highly skilled musicians and performers brought together for the sole purpose of making a Metal Opera. The concept belongs to guitar player (Heaven's Gate) / producer (Rhapsody of Fire & Kamelot) / visionary Sascha Paeth who took charge of the arrangements, guitars and basses and entrusted Amanda Somerville with the story line and lyrics. Robert Hunecke-Rizzo (Luca Turilli, Rhapsody & Kamelot) also handles basses and guitars plus the drums, and Miro takes care of keyboards, orchestration and various sound effects. The project boasts an extensive cast of famous guest musicians from the Hard Rock and Metal communities, and the singers' roster reads like a Who's Who of the Prog/Metal scene (ft. Simone Simons: Epica, Marko Hietala&Emppu Vuorinen: Nightwish) The story line is a fantasy saga about love, hate and sibling rivalry, and the album features a variety of musical themes and atmospheres, ranging from speed metal and solid rock numbers to delicate acoustic parts, aerial, 'maiden' vocals, even a boys' choir. On the technical side, you'll hear some powerful riffs, fancy keyboards, guitar solos, sonic drumming, overall catchy melodies and first-rate performances from all involved, particularly from vocalist Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath). AINA's self-titled album comes in 2 cds with a 64-page, beautifully illustrated booklet where disk 1 features the main material and disk 2 contains some single and alternate versions of the same songs plus a few demos. A limited edition of the album contains a 3rd disk: a DVD featuring a documentary on the making of "Aina", a 3D animated clip and some slides and pictures from the album's booklet.